Raining
by Blueberry Bagel
Summary: Takeru's thoughts during a battle in the real world. Set during the Demon/Oikawa arc. Yoai, Takori. Now with updated spelling!


Authors notes:  
  
Parker: Well, thanks to all ya who reviewed this fic the first time around, now the spellings fixed and better then ever! Would anyone like a sequel or continuation of this old thing? Let me know!!  
  
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While in the wild wood I did lie,  
A child with a most knowing eye.  
-From " Romance" by Edgar Allan Poe  
  
  
  
  
It seems that even the heavens hate us. The colorless gray clouds pelts us with fat, icy drops as we chase after our vastly different familiars. Mine, a rod carrying angle, yours, Iori, a tank-like dinosaur, bristling with spikes and armor. We stop a few yards away as our champions attack the newest horror from the digital world.  
Wide-eyed, you hold out your golden colored digivice, and I do the same. Ah, that's it. A warm heaviness settles into the pit of my stomach as the to digimon merge. My breath thickens and I can feel my eyes roll back slightly. Yes, this is one of the few places were the life blood touches eternity, our exchange that powers the jogress. It is during these times I can understand Daisuke and Ken's connection totally. After all they were the first, and the strongest.   
The feeling ebbs as I look up at Shakkuomon as he attacks the intruding digimon. My hair whips about slightly, my hat is long lost in the frenzy of battle and a few golden strands, heavy with rainwater, are plastered to my forehead.  
A weak sob cuts through the destruction and battle cries as you cling ever so lightly to me, your face buried in my shirt. Your hiding, I can tell. Hiding from the horror of the battle, hiding someplace safe.... and you find me safe Iori? Ha, I'm the furthest thing from SAFE . What with these slight tremors I feel as you peek out from the folds of cloth, one forest green eye peering upwards to Shakkuomon.  
I'm not surprised that you looked, even less so at the emotions that flicker across your face before you bury it against my stomach. A soft sigh, barely auto able except for the vibrations of it on my skin, comes unheeded from your throat. Hunger. That's what I see in that sharp green eye. Hunger and a bit of something almost like lust. Part of you WANTS Shakkuomon to destroy this digimon, no matter how much your morals fight it. That same part that aches for that race of dim, yet powerful red heat, a kind of bloodlust if you will. Not the type of thing you would expect from an innocent nine year old.... hmph, sure.  
Children are not as innocent as adults are want to believe. I should know.   
He, with his own face buried in a younger Taichi's stomach, just above the hips, seeking comfort in the older boy. A low purr issuing from the younger as the brunette places his hand on the boys shoulder, speaking softly that it was all o.k. That same golden child of Hope who would fawn over the leader, smiling coyly and waiting for his brothers jealousy to snap. And as the two clawed and spat at each other like a pair of mated cats, he would both sob for them to stop and watch with deeply shadowed intrigue. The same child that would lay awake as the two ( Whom would also become jogress partners, I'm not at all surprised.) would, thinking their comrades asleep, sneak away. Unknowing that they had an eight year old shadow that ate up their whispers and touches with wide eyes and not a sound.  
I watch as you nuzzle in closer to me, and wonder if you even notice the battle anymore. Almost unknowingly I wrap my arms around you in a loose embrace. I can feel your distress, not only over the digimon, though that is the most obvious. But also something deeper, darker and more primal. Your breath seems to become harsher and more jagged, I notice that your shivering slightly. Oh, god how I want to comfort you, to crouch down and look into your eyes, show you that I understand without words that would only cheapen what I feel. And I almost do ( do what... I'm not exactly sure.) , but before I get the chance you pull away, though not entirely, and look upwards.  
My eyes follow yours to the battle as two smaller jogress ultimates soar into the fray. Piledramon and Silphymon launch their attacks at the enemy, causing it to stagger away from Shakkoumon, who fires a Justice Beam. It won't be long now. I feel rather then see our teammates run up to us. Hikari, having destroyed digimon before,watches the battle with a cold detachment. Miyako's eyes are wide as she seems to gasp for breath, her chest rising and falling. She doesn't seem surprised as Hikari slips her small hand into Miyako's, they both smile weakly. This touching scene is interrupted by a sharp yell that seems more like a howl. Daisuke is pacing nearby, yelling hoarsely to Piledramon, his eyes flicker about and he seems almost to snarl. His attitude is obviously one of bloodlust, he has never truly had a problem with deleting evil digimon. Ken stands stiffly at Daisuke's side, his dark eyes taking in every detail. The sharpness in his stance reminds me sickeningly of the Kaiser. Oh, how we fit together, the six of us.  
The three ultimates charge their attacks and fire as one. The attacks hit home and you gasp, wrapping your arms around my waist, choking on breathless sobs. MY self-control snaps and I collapse to my knees. Your arms move from my waist to my neck and your face to my collarbone. You try so hard to be strong, like your lost father. But even the strongest of us shouldn't be forced to endure this. You've always been more sensitive to the digimon then the rest of us. Maybe that's why it took you so long to accept Ken.  
And as your sobs tapir into silent tears on my neck, it hits me. Everything we've gone through I've learned to block almost as an.... unreality. But now it crashes into me all at once. People, digimon, children, all their lives changed... or even destroyed by these last few days. And the fighting, Oh God, the fighting... always fighting, killing.  
I scoop you up suddenly, wrapping you in my embrace as I crouch here in the rain. I bury my face in your disheveled hair ( I have never seen your hair messy before, it seems to make you more accessible, more... real.), hiding my own gut wrenching cries. You could never hide in a reality of self-delusion like the rest of us, could you Iori? My God! It hurts... my barriers collapse like so many panes of glass as you whisper in my ear... how sorry you are and for me not to cry, while the tears continue to stream down your own face, but i have to cry, I can't stop.  
So, here we sit, rocking slightly un the rain as the digimon's data breaks apart in the sky above and the rain washes us of our tears and becomes brackish, wiping away the anger, pain and fear in us. Our teammates glance once over at us, then turn away, ashamed at their own coldness. But I don't care what they think, holding you now is all that matters.  
You go limp from stress and lean onto my chest as the digimon bound up to us. Patamon is riding shotgun on Armidillomon's shell and they approach us carefully. You glance to your familiar, and he looks away sadly, he knows you disapprove of what he has done. But you put him at ease by leaning out one arm and scratching his ears. He almost seems to purr. As the digimon lop away to celebrate with the others, ( Daisuke jokingly mentions something about Twinkees, how soon the battles fade from them) you mutter something in a low voice. I raise a questioning eyebrow in response.  
Choices you say softly, It's like no matter what we do there are somethings we have no choice about. you sigh weakly, Good or Bad, Right or Wrong, Black or White.... No matter What, When, Why or.... Who.. You look up at me with wide eyes for a moment.  
You lean back on to me with half lidded eyes and I look up. It has stopped raining and I can see some of the stars now. I'm surprised at the flush of pleasure I get from you shortening my name. " Well, Iori-chan..." I sigh and you smile slightly from the chan ending, " I guess it just comes down to doing the best we can with the choices that we DO have, huh?" You nod, and I can tell that your dozing now. I rise up slowly with you riding my left hip like a much younger child of two or three. You snuggle into my shoulder and fall into a deeper sleep as I follow the others.  
And now as I watch you dream, I am thankful for that one cleansing rain.  
  
  
~End~  
  
  



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